A U.S. federal judge in Phoenix has temporarily halted a land swap involving an Indigenous sacred site.
The group Apache Stronghold filed an emergency request this week to prevent the Oak Flat area outside of Superior from being handed over to mining giant Rio Tinto while the U.S. Supreme Court considers the case.
Judge Steven P. Logan wrote that the Trump administration can’t move ahead with the land transfer while the high court considers a long-running challenge to stop the Resolution Copper Mine.
“There is no close question in this matter. It is abundantly clear that the balance of equities ‘tips sharply’ in Plaintiff’s favor, and ... they have presented serious questions on the merits that warrant the Supreme Court’s careful scrutiny,” wrote Logan in his 18-page decision released Friday.
Oak Flat is the site of Indigenous religious ceremonies and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rio Tinto wants to tap into some of the largest known copper reserves in the U.S. located beneath Oak Flat.
The area was slated for a land exchange with the company in 2014 after it was approved by Congress as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.
